'They Wore The Shirt' by Steve Plant : Books and Magazines : Soccer Bible

Plotting the history of Wolverhampton Wanderers shirts from 1877 to 2016, 'They Wore the Shirt' is a rich celebration of those kits that have spanned the decades. Bursting a bright orange, the collaborative project that is led by Steve Plant, is all in aid of charity with profits going to Birmingham Children's hospital.

Not only a tapestry that threads an incredible timeline, the proceeds have raised over £22,000 to date. Spanning 140 years, visually it's one for any fan to appreciate as it charts the way on pitch fashion has changed over the decades. The main stay of traditional heavy duty shirts is evident in the way they lasted up to the 70s and 80s before the explosion of sportswear and in turn kit design broke new ground. In that time the volume of shapes and strong graphics infected football beautifully. Since then, the enhanced engineering of sportswear has been embraced technology and while tight fitted, performance led pieces land year after year, the significance and spiritual value of the football shirt has remained the tangible piece of a club that both fans and players can share.




253 pages that go further than simply accessorising a coffee table, it blends sophisticated and stylised photography with heart warming story telling. Each shirt proving to be a post card glimpse into a game day gone by, this will be treasured for many years to come and can inspire no end. All in the name of charity too, that's football folks. Strong collectively.

Find out more about the project here.